More to Media Watch

Thanks thisisapastiche (don't mind my blog-illiteracy when it comes to fancy tagging of other bloggers..) for that link. Thought I'd share to start with; who'd have thought 10 minutes of ragging on journos would be a week-in, week-out gig?

My next point - and I wanted to get it out there asap - is about the new national curriculum proposal. I'm going to have a little vent now because I'm chasing leads (hey International Studies readings, you're waiting ANOTHER day) in a hurry, first story of the semester is due on Thursday and I'm hoping I can use this one (for Online News) as the foundation for my next one, a TV news package due in two weeks (for ABJ).

So, on the subject of the National Curriculum proposal, its history outline in particular, Christopher Pyne (admittedly a hitherto unknown name to me) has said, 'the early signs were the “black armband” view was back.
“How can Australians know where we are heading in the future if we don't have a balanced view of our past,” Mr Pyne asked. ' (From this article)

*five minute blog-writing interval as I lurk Lily Allen's twitpic account after teeth/face washing*

So, in my attempts as lead-chasing, crack investigative Lois Lane I came across The Shape of the National Curriculum. There I found this doozy:
"The ... draft of the National Declaration declares commitments ‘to supporting all young Australians to become successful learners, confident individuals and active and informed citizens’ (Box 2) and to promoting equity in education."
According the draft,
"Active and informed citizens…
• have the capacity and inclination to act with moral and ethical integrity
• have an understanding of Australia’s system of government and civic life and
appreciate its diversity of culture and history, including the special place of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
• are able to relate and communicate across cultures, especially in relation to
cultures and countries of the Asia-Pacific
• have a desire and capacity to work for the common good, including
stewardship of the natural environment
• are responsible global and local citizens"

According to Pyne, this is a 'black armband approach.'
Julia Gillard defended the curriculum draft, saying it is 'neither black armband or white blindfold' as she and Kevin Rudd got cosy with kids in a classroom today (undoubtedly for the ABC TV news crew also in attendance). In spite of their very peachy-keen PR smiles and forced banter with children that made me slightly cringe, I am definitely in favour of curricula that seeks to shape children's knowledge so roundly.

This may be because, as UoM's Stuart Macintyre said earlier today, "[Our best estimate is] probably only half the children in Australian schools are studying history in any systematic way." (see Simon Santow's article for more from Pr Macintyre)

Case in point is my own education. The first four years of my primary schooling were spent at Collombatti Public School and if you make it to the website, you'll see that it's 10 years out of date. What's more is the school actually closed in 2001. This isn't a trip down NotQuiteLois' memory lane though; case in point being that I cannot recall any history subjects done in my time there. The next school I attended was a Catholic primary school in Kempsey and the general gist of history seemed to be the Roman Catholic view of the time when BC was becoming AD - or when Joseph received his coat, Mary Magdalene was turning tricks and Jesus H. Christ didn't quite become the carpenter his parents had thought he would.
Australia's colonial history was offered in the form of caricature prisoners in striped garb, cute fellows who stole little more than bread to feed their poor families and spent months on a boat with rats to arrive in the 'lucky country.' What small snatches I learned about our indigenous past came from playmates who attended public schools across Kempsey. When I arrived in the ACT, the idea of SOSE (Studie of Society and Environment) seemed to be similar to HSIE (Human Society and its Environment) though I had done neither in any real capacity. I touched on Mesopotamia in year 8 at an ACT government school and came second in history in year 9 (while on a 10 month stint back in Kempsey), but the content was sporadic and anyway, the achievement of being second best in the year surpassed retention of any content. In college here in the ACT, I elected to do all ancient history subjects, from the birth of Civilisation to Rome, receiving a minor in history for my studies. 

There you have a nice cross section of NSW/ACT schools. I have always felt the knowledge of Australian and world history I gained in any classroom to be lacking. That which I know outside of what I have outlined  I pursued outside of school, and upon reflection I feel rather that millions of Australians would benefit greatly from a broad focused, national history curriculum.

Blindfold or armband? How about give the kids the information and let them decide. Youngsters appear to have a great sense of right/wrong or fair/not until that code is demoralised somehow, and just maybe the examination of folly and triumph across time, culture, land and sea will actually enforce this moral code.

So while Pyne is whining about the Magna Carta and the Westminster system being overlooked, and only 10 references to Britain amid 66 references to Asia, maybe our kids will grow up with a relevant geopolitical awareness and regional understanding (heck, maybe even compassion!) while old fuddy duddies like Mr Pyne linger in a colonial past clinging to the Motherland and imperialism, more than comfortable with white blindfolds that will obscure armbands of any colour.